The present invention involves an apparatus and method for controlling decorative lighting strings using a digital controller to synchronize different light groups on a plurality of decorative lighting strings. In particular, a control unit is added to each of a plurality of lighting strings, each light string having a plurality of light bulbs thereon. One control unit is configurable as a master control unit. The plurality of light strings are daisy chained together to form longer decorative strings. The remaining, daisy chained control units are configured as slave control units and are connected to the master control unit such that the illumination commands generated by the master control unit are distributed among the plurality of lighting strings. This distribution of illumination commands permits similar groups of light bulbs on each of the plurality of lighting strings to be synchronously controlled by the master control unit.
Numerous systems have been created that control the brightness or the on/off state of the lights that are part of either a decorative string of lights or a lighted holiday display. Most of these inventions describe a different method and apparatus for controlling the amount and duration of power applied to the bulbs or to the creation of different lighting sequences used to illuminate the bulbs of the light string.
As one example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,000 entitled Control Circuit of the Decorative Light Sets (xe2x80x9cthe Chou patentxe2x80x9d) provides a digital control circuit for controlling the illumination sequence of a plurality of lamp bulbs to create a decorative light display. In particular, both of the control circuits in the Chou patent include an oscillator electrically coupled to each of two decoders. Each of the oscillators provides a different working frequency at which to drive their respective decoders, the outputs of which trigger the on/off (xe2x80x9cblinkingxe2x80x9d) function of the associated lights through a switch control means. As a result, all the lamp bulbs on each of the plurality of light strings are toggled on and off according to lighting patterns provided by their associated decoders and at a variable rate determined by the output frequency of their associated oscillators.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,157 entitled Decorative String Lighting System (xe2x80x9cthe Yeh patentxe2x80x9d) provides a light string that is particularly suited for decorating a Christmas tree. The light string of Yeh includes a control unit and a multiplicity of illuminators, each driven by a separate circuit power path. An integrated circuit controller is capable of individually activating each of the different power paths so as to control each group of similarly colored lights. Although a multiplicity of light bulb colors and types may be included on a single bus of power leads, the light string is long enough to cover a Christmas tree. Multiple individual light strings may be used to cover distances longer than that of a single light string. However, such a series of light strings would be without the ability to achieve synchrony between the illumination patterns produced by the control mechanisms of the individually controlled light strings.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,781 entitled Christmas Tree Lighting Control (xe2x80x9cthe Davis, Jr. patentxe2x80x9d) provides an outlet extension cord having multiple outlets at a terminal end. Each of the outlets is powered by an individual power bus controlled by a different duty cycle controller. Thus, multiple strings of lights may be plugged into the extension outlets with each string receiving a different power duty cycle, thereby producing different flickering rates as between each string of lights. However, like the Yeh patent, such a series of light strings would be without the ability to achieve synchrony as between similar groups of light bulbs on the light strings, for example, the illumination of only the blue bulbs on each light string.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,587 entitled Programmable Lighting Control System for Controlling Illumination Duration and Intensity Levels of Lamps on Multiple Lighting Stings (xe2x80x9cthe Gray et al. patentxe2x80x9d) describes a complex computer controlled system in which programmed light sequences, including light intensity variations, are driven by a central CPU to a multiple outlet extension arrangement. As with the Davis, Jr. patent, multiple power outlets are individually controlled by a sophisticated programmable processor. Thus, multiple strings of lights may be plugged into the extension outlets with each string controlled by a different power sequence, thereby producing different visual effects as between the light strings. However, like the Davis, Jr. patent, such a series of light strings would be without any capability to achieve synchrony between similar groups of light bulbs on each of the light strings.
Thus, the need exists to create a sequenced controller or digital control circuitry that controls a plurality of light stings, one of the light strings coupled to a master control unit, the remaining light strings coupled to the master control unit and the remaining controllers configured as slave control units. Such configuration permits the master controller unit to synchronously control a plurality of light strings on a individual, group-wise basis.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the invention includes a control unit for attachment to a light string. The light string has a plurality of lights, the plurality of lights are arranged as a plurality of sets of lights and each set of lights displays a single color. The control unit has a light driver coupled to the plurality of lights with a power bus for controlling power to the plurality of lights, and the power bus has individual power control signals for controlling power to each set of lights displaying the same color. A sequence controller is coupled to the light driver with a control bus, and the sequence controller generates a plurality of light control signals transmitted over the control bus, each light control signal operatively coupled by the light driver to one of the individual power control signals. A connector is coupled to the control bus and includes a set of transmitting leads for transmitting the control signals on the control bus outside of the control unit. The connector further includes a set of receiving leads for receiving control signals on the control bus from outside of the control unit; and a configuration selector. The configuration selector couples the sequence controller, the light driver and the transmitting leads so that the control signals from the sequence controller are routed over the control bus to the light driver and the transmitting leads in a first configuration. The configuration selector decouples the sequence controller from the light driver and couples the receiving leads to the light driver so that the control signals from the receiving leads are router over the control bus to the light driver in a second configuration.
In other aspects of the invention, the control unit of the invention further includes an AC to DC converter coupled to the light driver for supplying power to the light driver and may further include a pattern control knob coupled to the sequence controller for actuating the sequence controller to generate the light control signals. Also the configuration selector may include a connector plug for coupling with the connector where the connector plug includes the couplings of either the first or the second configurations. In another aspect of the invention, the sequence controller includes a microcontroller. Still further, the sequence controller includes a personal computer.
In another particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention for a system of synchronized lighting includes a plurality of light strings. Each light string has a plurality of lights, the plurality of lights are arranged as a plurality of sets of lights. Each set of lights displays a single color. A control unit is coupled to each light string and the plurality of lights, and includes a light driver coupled to the plurality of lights with a power bus for controlling power to the plurality of lights. The power bus has individual power control signals for controlling power to each set of lights displaying the same color. A sequence controller is coupled to the light driver with a control bus. The sequence controller generates a plurality of light control signals transmitted over the control bus, and each light control signal is operatively coupled by the light driver to one of the individual power control signals. A connector is coupled to the control bus and includes a set of transmitting leads for transmitting the control signals on the control bus outside of the control unit. The connector further includes a set of receiving leads for receiving control signals on the control bus from outside of the control unit. A configuration selector couples the sequence controller, the light driver and the transmitting leads so that the control signals from the sequence controller are routed over the control bus to the light driver and the transmitting leads in a first configuration. The configuration selector decouples the sequence controller from the light driver and couples the receiving leads to the light driver so that the control signals from the receiving leads are router over the control bus to the light driver in a second configuration. One of the plurality of control units has the first configuration and all other of the control units have the second configuration. The transmitting leads of the control unit having the first configuration are coupled to the receiving leads of each of the control units having the second configuration. The sequence controller of the control unit having the first configuration generates control signals that are routed to each light driver so as to simultaneously control each set of lights having the same color on each of the plurality of light strings.
In other aspects of the invention, the system further includes a pattern control knob coupled to the sequence controller of the control unit having the first configuration for actuating the sequence controller to generate the light control signals. Further, the configuration selector may include a connector plug for coupling with the connector, the connector plug including the couplings of either the first or the second configurations. In addition, the control units may be dynamically configurable between the first and the second configurations.
In yet another particular embodiment of the present invention, a system for synchronizing a plurality of lights, the system includes first and second light strings having a first and second plurality of lights respectively. A first light group includes a subset of lights from the first plurality of lights. A second light group including a subset of lights from the second plurality of lights. A sequence controller is coupled to the first light string and the first plurality of lights and generates control signals transmitted over the coupling for controlling the first light group. A first connector is coupled to the first light string, the first plurality of lights and the sequence controller. The first connector includes signal paths for transmitting the control signals. A second connector is coupled to the second light string and the second plurality of lights. The second connector includes signal paths for receiving the control signals and is connected to the first connector with an interconnection cable. The interconnection cable is capable of transmitting the control signals between the first and the second connectors. The sequence controller synchronously controls both the first light group and the second light group via the control signals transmitted over the first and second connectors and the an interconnection cable.
In a particular aspect of the above invention, the system further includes a first light driver and a second light driver coupled to the first light string and the second light string respectively. The first and second light drivers provide power to the first plurality of lights and the second plurality of lights respectively. Further, the first and second groups of lights may include groups of lights of the same color.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a system for synchronizing a plurality of lights, includes a plurality of light strings. Each light string includes a plurality of lights. The plurality of light strings include a master light string. The plurality of lights within each light string are associated with a plurality of light groups, in which each light group includes a subset of the plurality of lights on each light string. A master connector is coupled to the master light string and the included plurality of lights. A sequence controller is coupled to the master connector and generated control signals transmitted over the coupling for controlling each light group within the plurality of lights on the master light string. A plurality of slave connectors are coupled to one of the remaining plurality of light strings and the included plurality of lights and to at least one other connector with an interconnection cable. At least one slave connector is also directly coupled to the master connector with an interconnection cable. The plurality of slave connector couplings are arranged such that each of the plurality of light strings and the included plurality lights is also coupled to the master connector. The interconnection cable is capable of transmitting signals between coupled connectors for controlling each light group within the coupled light strings, the sequence controller and independently controlling each light group of the master light string in synchrony with the plurality of light groups of the remaining light strings via the plurality of couplings of the master and slave connectors.
A particularly preferred method of synchronously controlling a plurality of lights according to the present invention includes the steps of configuring a first control bus of a first control unit, the step of configuring including coupling a sequence controller, a first light string and to a first connector to the control bus where the first light string has a plurality of lights and the plurality of lights of the first light string includes a plurality colors. The method also includes configuring a second control bus of a second control unit, the step of configuring including coupling a second connector, a second light string, and a second control bus, where the second light string has a plurality of lights and the plurality of lights of the second light string are arranged as a plurality of sets of lights. The plurality of lights of the second light string include a plurality colors. The method also includes the step of coupling the first connector and the second connector so as to couple the first and second control buses and generating the control signals with the sequence controller. The method further includes the step of routing the control signals to the first and second control busses and the plurality of lights of the first and second light strings to simultaneously control lights of the same color.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the system for synchronously controlling a plurality of lights includes a plurality of light strings where each light string includes a plurality of lights. The plurality of light strings includes a master light string. The plurality of lights within each light string are associated with a plurality of light groups. Each light group includes a subset of the plurality of lights on each light string. A master connector is coupled to the master light string and the included plurality of lights. A sequence controller is coupled to the master connector and the sequence controller generates control signals that are transmitted over the coupling for controlling each light group within the plurality of lights on the master light string. A plurality of slave connectors are coupled to one of the remaining plurality of light strings and the included plurality of lights. Each of the slave connectors is coupled to at least one other connector with an interconnection cable and at least one slave connector is coupled directly to the master connector with a an interconnection cable. The plurality of slave connector couplings are arranged such that each of the plurality of light strings and the included plurality lights is also an interconnection cable to the master connector. The interconnection cable is capable of transmitting signals between coupled connectors for controlling each light group within the coupled light strings. The sequence controller independently controls each light group of the master light string in synchrony with the plurality of light groups of the remaining light strings via the plurality of couplings of the master and slave connectors.